Silk's life as a married man
by Sweetheart From Hell
Summary: Silk was the eternal bachelor. Then, he married Liselle, and this is a look at their first year or so as a married couple. Rated M for smut, so be warned. Only borrowing the characters from The Malloreon. Might turn into a two shot.


**I don't know if there is much to say about this one. The plot bunny took hold of me and ran away wildly. There might be another chapter later, or it might not, we'll see.**

**Rated M for smut, and quite a lot of it. Also, I'm sorry if they're all out of character, but Silk **_**is**_** just married and in love.**

**And nope, I own nothing, unfortunately, except the plot. Enjoy the read.**

**~*SILK*~**

Silk had had quite a share of experience with women. After a pretty servant girl in the Cherek palace, where the Academy had sent him for "field training", had smiled at him for days and fluttered her eyelashes at him, and then finally pulled him into a hidden closet and taken his virginity, he found that he quite liked the experience, but wanted to, well, broaden his range of experience. The servant girl wept bitter tears when he left the palace, but Silk found he felt no special guilt.

So since the age of sixteen, he'd slept with young women at the court in both Boktor and other palaces and noble houses, and he had effectively and pleasurably relieved the boredom of noble women whose men were busy with their duties. He'd charmed more than willing servant girls in taverns and alehouses into the bed he occupied at the moment, and in almost every market or small town he'd visited during both work and pleasure travels, at least one girl had found themselves abandoned in their bed when they woke after a night of by now skilled pleasure.

However, after marrying Margravine Liselle, he had to learn something even harder than earning experience and skill in women's beds. Fidelity. He had always taken pride in the freedom of bachelordom, taken pleasure in doing as he pleased and being able to take any woman he found pretty to his bed. And now, suddenly, he was faced with the fact that these days had effectively come to an end after he uttered these fateful wedding vows in Riva.

The morning after their wedding night, which had taken both his breath and mind away enough to chase away every single fear he ever had of marriage and commitment, Liselle firmly sat him down after their breakfast, and Silk almost trembled at the adamant look in her eyes, trying to avoid meeting her gaze.

"Kheldar." She took hold of his chin, forcing him to look at her. All feeling of the laziness and lingering pleasure that had filled some of their previous mornings after particularly good nights together vanished, and he almost shrank back as she continued to force him to meet her gaze. "Yesterday, we married." He nodded weakly, very aware of the fact. "You swore fidelity to me until the end of our living days." Another weak nod. "And I am going to hold you to it." He nodded, not sure what she was getting at. "Kheldar, I have received the same training as you in the academy." Silk nodded weakly again and tilted his head in slight confusion. What was she getting at? However much experience he'd had with their bodies in the past, their minds were still a mystery to him. "If I as much as hear a breath of you touching someone else than me, there will be hell to pay for you. Hell. To. Pay. And trust me, I will know." By now, Silk was pressed to the back of the chair, almost frightened of his new wife's declaration. He nodded again, slowly. Liselle let go of his chin and smiled, her dimples showing. "Just wanted to make it clear, just so you know." Silk relaxed slightly.

"I – I understand, Liselle", he said, voice almost completely steady. She let out a little laugh and climbed into his lap, sneaking her arms around his neck.

"Good. I just wanted to set the rules clear now, _before_ anything else might get into your head." She kissed him lightly on the lips, and he relaxed. Now, she was all sweet and soft again. She pulled back slightly. "And of course the same applies to me, just so you know." He smiled at that.

"I wouldn't have expected any less, my… wife." The word felt strange in his mouth. "Margravine Liselle, the wife of Prince Kheldar… my wife. I never thought I would call anyone that." Liselle threw her head back with a delighted laugh. Then she gently stroked his cheek.

"Prince Kheldar, my husband." She kissed him, grinding herself slightly against him. She smiled her dimpled smile that always made him melt. "I caught the man who was so intent on never being caught by any woman in the world, however many tried." Silk looked away for a moment, the memory of _why_ he never had really been able to fall in love with anyone still stung just a bit, though so much less than before. For a moment, he wondered if he could see Porenn, talk to her, without feeling his heart break all over again. Then he turned back, and saw his wife smiling at him, and he smiled back, all thought of Porenn chased away by the beauty of the only woman who had been able to chase her from his heart.

"It was the dimples that did it", he said in a deadpan voice, and Liselle laughed softly, showing off those very dimples to him.

"And you'll see them every day." This time, when she kissed him, it wasn't only a light brush of lips, but a full and deep kiss, filled with lust and love and desire. Silk returned it with the same passion, tangling a hand in her hair. Simultaneously, they rose, and she slid easily off his lap, not letting go of he grip around his neck.

Since they were only wearing morning robes, and nothing under since they had not bothered dressing for their wedding night, it was easy for Silk to slide the robe off Liselle's shoulder, and with only a slight movement of his hand open the rope that held it shut. It slid off her, and he touched her hip first with his fingertips, then let his whole hand stroke her smooth body, the again exploring the curve of her hip, her flat stomach, the swell of her breasts. He cupped them in his hands as he kissed her again, for a moment marvelling over that this beautiful woman was his.

Then he felt her hands pushing his robe away, and in a second, it lay discarded on the floor and he felt her body press against him. She only needed to reach up slightly to breathe whisper in his ear.

"I think we should continue what we started last night… and finished… and started again and…" He answered by kissing her, full of passion and desire, and pressed his lower body against hers, letting her feel that he agreed with her very much. He could feel her smile as she felt his hardness press into her hip before he lifted her up in his arms, carrying her back to the bed where the sheets were still rumpled and stained with both sweat and other things.

They almost tumbled into bed, Liselle turning so that they fell together in a tangled heap of limbs and lips and tongues.

At first, it was only need, and she only teased him for a few moments before he flipped them over, getting on top of her, biting and sucking on her throat. He slid into her in a single thrust, and she moaned, wrapping her legs around his back, urging him to thrust harder, faster.

She clenched around him, almost screaming out his name, arching her back as he thrust even harder. He kissed her, an open mouthed, sloppy kiss that was more teeth and tongue than lips. She gasped, brushing her hair out of the way, meeting his kiss with equal passion. Then she pushed him back, simply flipping them over so they were facing the foot end of the bed, and with her on top.

Silk reached up and cupped her breasts, and she made a twisting motion with her lower body that made him moan and buck his hips towards her. For a moment, she kept teasing him this way, making the same twisting motion and enjoying the way he moaned every time she did. Then she grew tired of the teasing and started moving her hips back and forth, riding him in a way she already knew he loved.

Silk moaned and pulled her down so he could kiss her, once again more teeth than lips. Then he moved, and pulled her just a little further, taking one of her nipples into his mouth, while fondling her other breast with his hand, circling her hard nipple as well as he could with her movements. When Liselle felt his lips close around her nipple and his tongue circling it, she gasped, moving faster, feeling herself clench around him once again as she rode him even faster. She moaned, feeling his teeth graze her nipple, crying out when he gave it a slightly harder suck. She pulled back, once again kissing him, crying out his name into his mouth, and when she clenched again, she felt him come too with a final thrust into her and a cry of her name.

Afterwards, they lay exhausted, their arms and legs so tangled up in each other's they hardly knew where Silk ended and Liselle begun. For minutes, they were both too exhausted to speak, but Liselle was the one who finally broke the silence with a giggle.

"Kheldar… I think half of Riva just heard us." He turned his head to face her, lazily letting his hand wander over her body, gently stroking the swell of her breasts.

"You're probably right." Then he laughed too. "We should probably stick to these quarters for just a little while…" He untangled himself from her, turning himself onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows. "And now, since they've already heard us now… and probably last night", he gave her a sly grin and a wink, "why not make them hear just a little more?" Liselle sighed.

"Oh Kheldar… I love you." She smiled, dimples showing in their full sweetness and glory.

"I love you, Liselle." The words still felt foreign in his mouth, but not bad or wrong. Just still strange, unusual. "But now, what do you say to shocking the poor people of Riva just a little more?" He leaned in to kiss her, wrapping his arm around her, drawing her close. She kissed him back, wrapping her leg over his hips, bringing their lower bodies close enough for her to teasingly rub just a little.

"That I think…" She teasingly licked a trail from the hollow of his throat to his earlobe. "…is an excellent idea." She bit his earlobe gently, rubbing her lower body to his, feeling him grow hard against her still wet entrance. This time, however, she decided they would take their time, wanting to enjoy teasing and tormenting him for a little while.

She licked her way down his body, stopping to circle each of his nipples with her tongue for a few moments, making him gasp as she gently blew cold air on them just after removing her warm, wet mouth. She licked her way around his belly button, then her way through the thin trail of hair that led downwards. When she reached his cock, that was fully erect by now, she took it into her mouth as deep as she could, earning a moan and a gasp from Silk, his hands entwining themselves in her hair.

"Liselle…" she heard him moan, and she drew back enough to circle the head of his cock with her tongue, finding the most sensitive spot and licking it for a few moments, all while Silk bucked his hips towards the heat of her mouth and moaning her name, his hands still entangled in her hair.

Once again, she took almost all of his length into her mouth, and started to torturously slowly move up and down, all the time swirling and moving her tongue. Silk bucked his hips and gasped, clenching his hands in her hair. Suddenly she picked up some speed, and a moan escaped him, and unable to stand the teasing any longer he moved his hands from her hair and pulled her up, positioning her under him. He began with kissing her on the mouth, slowly, sensually, tasting himself on her lips and tongue, and then he moved to her neck, determined to pay her back in kind for her teasing.

After nipping and sucking on her neck for a few moments, only long enough to leave a few marks of what they had been up to, he moved further down, wetting his fingers to circle and massage one of her nipples until it was hard beneath his fingers, and taking the other one into his mouth, sucking first gently, then harder and grazing it with his teeth, making Liselle's moan and arch herself into his touch. Then he let his hand run over her smooth, flat abdomen, licking and occasionally sucking and biting a trail downwards.

When he finally reached his destination, he barely touched her with his tongue at first, only teasingly lightly grazing her wetness, feeling the heat from it. He caressed her inner thigh, trailing kisses along it, and he could feel her writhing under his touch, her body begging for more. After a little while, he obliged, letting his tongue slide into her, making her moan. He twirled his tongue, moving it in and out of her a few time, then moved it to her most sensitive spot, and when he swirled his tongue around it, she arched her back and moaned, burying her fingers in his hair.

He kept swirling his tongue around, and ceased the stroking of her thigh, instead bringing his fingers to her entrance, and he felt her nails dig into the back of his neck when he thrust into her with two, still licking and gently sucking on her. He added a third finger, thrusting, twirling, sucking, licking, and then finally, what he'd been waiting for.

"Khel-dar – please – please –" He felt her clench around his fingers, and she arched her back, her nails digging into the back of his neck. With a final thrust and twist, he out his fingers and started trailing his way back up her body with kisses. When he reached her lips, she drew him close, kissing him with as much passion she could muster, and slid herself under his body, wrapping her legs around his hips. "Kheldar, please… please… I need you…" He kissed her, smiling slightly against her mouth and swirled his tongue around hers.

"Well, Liselle, since you ask so nicely…" Without warning, he thrust into her, making her gasp his name and clench her legs around his hips, lifting herself to drive him deeper. He started thrusting, feeling Liselle fall into rhythm to meet his thrusts, and now all time for teasing was over. All that existed were them, their hard, panting breaths, clumsy kisses that were more teeth and tongue than lips.

This time, none of them felt any need to change position, only the closeness mattered, only the thrusting and the breathy kisses, only the moans and occasional scream as Silk brought Liselle to orgasm after orgasm.

Afterwards, they had no idea of how long time possibly could have passes, since the curtains of the bedroom window were still drawn shut. The only thing they were sure of was that the other half of Riva now also knew exactly what they had been up to on their wedding night and after-wedding day.

Both their necks were covered with love bites, and they quickly agreed on that very few things would be able to get them out of the bed this day, as they lay exhausted, loosely tangled together. Silk turned to look at his wife.

"I think I like being married." Liselle burst into laughter and kissed him, caressing his cheek, and showing off her dimples all over again.

"It's because of the dimples", she replied, and this time, Silk was the one who laughed.

**~*SILK*~**

So married life started out more than very pleasant for Silk. They stayed in Riva for a week, mainly because they rarely emerged from the bedchamber during that time. Then, finally, they decided that they couldn't stay forever, and Silk had his business to take care of, and Liselle still worked for the Drasnian Intelligence Service, so they returned to Boktor, where Silk used one of his many connections to buy them a house to have as the steady point of their life, which obviously would contain a fair deal of traveling.

For a few days, they stayed in Boktor, getting their house in order, and made their first official visit to the palace as a married couple. King Kheva greeted them with a banquet, and Porenn smiled and congratulated them, especially Liselle for catching the man who had planned staying a bachelor forever.

Silk felt slightly wary while they made their way to the palace, wondering how it would feel to meet Porenn now, when so much had changed since the last time. However, when he saw her and she embraced him, congratulating him on his marriage, he felt no twinge in his heart or longing that it had been her instead of Liselle. And Porenn seemed delighted that the smile he gave her was a real one, and that she saw no trace of she self-mocking expression he always had worn around her for most of his life.

Of course Silk's mother was there too, of course she had to be after her son's wedding and all, although fortunately, she was absent during the banquet. Afterwards, Silk told Liselle to wait with Porenn while he went to see her, and she nodded, knowing the story.

When Silk came back down after an hour or so, he was quiet and didn't want to look anyone in the eye, and bade Porenn a quiet goodbye, and left together with Liselle.

The walk to their new home was silent, since Liselle felt that if he wanted to talk, he would, and then she would listen, but she wouldn't press the matter.

When they reached their destination, Silk immediately went for the ale barrel and filled a tankard, then sat down at the table, and started drinking determinedly without a word. Liselle sat down next to him, at a loss of what to do. But since he didn't make any hints of wanting her to go away, she stayed, just watching her husband drinking and staring emptily in front of him, only rising to fill the tankard again.

After hours of this, Silk was too drunk to get more ale, and when he accidentally knocked over the tankard and spilt the last in it, he didn't seem to really care, he just leaned his head in his hand and stared down at the table instead of the air. Liselle stretched out a tentative hand, unable to bear watching him like this longer, and touched his shoulder with her fingertips. Since he didn't make any motion of flinching away, she inched closer, tentatively stroking his cheek with her thumb. Silk buried his face in his hand, and a choked sob escaped him. Liselle moved so she sat close to him and put her arm around him, caressing his cheek with her other hand.

"Kheldar?" Her voice was quiet, and though he didn't look up, he slowly shook his head.

"Why?" he croaked? "Why?" Liselle felt her heart break for him, for his obvious grief and despair. She drew him closer to him, stroking a soothing hand through his hair.

"I don't know, Kheldar, I don't know." Suddenly he threw his arms around her waist and buried his face in her chest with a cry of despairing grief, and began to cry with deep, heart wrenching sobs, and Liselle felt her dress become wet with tears. "Shh, Kheldar, shh…" She held him tight, stroking soothingly through his hair as he cried, his body shaking with sobs.

After a while, the sobs died down, to only the occasional hiccupy sob, and Liselle rested her cheek on the top of his head, holding him tight.

"My Kheldar, my dear, dear Kheldar…" she whispered. "Let's go to bed." She softly rose and helped him up, steadying him while making their way towards the bedroom. She helped him undress, since he was too drunk to handle buttons or such things, and helped him into bed, and when she joined him a few moments later, he was already asleep.

Liselle though, lay awake for a large part of the night, thinking about how her husband's grief that still was so great after all these years, and how she could help him somehow, in some way, except to hold him when he cried. All these thoughts were spinning in her head, and she cradled Silk in her arms, his head resting on his chest, even in sleep seeming to grieve. It wasn't until the first morning light started showing that she finally could fall asleep, still holding her husband tightly to her.

**~*SILK*~**

Around a week after they had settled into their house in Boktor, Liselle got a minor job from the Intelligence Service, and Silk had to leave for a business trip. Silk found it strange that it felt so hard to leave his wife, since this was the first time they'd be apart in a… long time. Her parting words to him were simple.

"I trust you." For a second, her eyes were hard, but then it passed, and she kissed him goodbye.

The first town Silk stopped in, he stayed in an inn called The Narrows, referring to the narrow street it was located in. He ordered a meal and a drink, and couldn't help but notice how pretty the waitress was. Her body had all the right curves and her hair was coppery red, hanging in curls around her face. When she came with his food and ale, she bent just a little lower than needed, and Silk got a good look down the front of her dress. The smile she gave him clearly showed that she would not at all mind a more private meeting later.

Silk swallowed. He could still remember Liselle's speech the day after their wedding, and he had sworn fidelity until death did them part and all and… He swallowed again. He was so used to being free, being able to sleep with any willing girl whom he found pleasing, and now he suddenly had the chains of marriage. He took a bite of his dinner and tried to think about Liselle, about _her_ body, how her hair looked, her face when… It just made it worse. Now he missed her, and wanted her. And instead of her, there was this girl… No! She had made quite clear what would happen if he did something like that. He took another bite of his food and tried to not think about the waitress girl. What about Liselle could make him stop thinking about her, what could… then he remembered the dimples. The waitress girl didn't have dimples.

He finished his meal and drank the last of his ale, then retreated to his room, making a special point of ignoring the waitress' disappointed look and thinking about Liselle's dimples.

Once in his room, he stared at the ceiling. He missed his wife. He thought about her… her dimpled smile… her body… her body… Just thinking about her aroused him, but taking care of it himself just wasn't the same as being with her, in her…

It took quite a few hours before he could sleep that night.

The next weeks of the trip weren't much easier. Almost every time he stayed at an inn, there was some pretty girl that caught his attention, and it took every ounce of his willpower and thinking hard about Liselle's threat to resist the temptation, and rid himself of his bachelor habits.

When he returned to Boktor, Liselle threw herself into his arms, kissing him passionately.

"I see you've been good", she said as they ate dinner. "I'm proud of you."

Later that night, after hours of lovemaking, as he held Liselle's sleeping form in his arms, just on the verge of sleep himself, he thought that it had been worth it. For Liselle's love, it was worth it.

**~*SILK*~**

As the months went by, the times apart didn't really get _easier_, but Silk found that it was more easy to resist the temptation when he was away.

And then, Liselle got pregnant. Silk panicked to the verge of bolting then and there. Him? A father? Just getting married was a huge thing for him. Or, huge was an understatement. And now, a child? A _child_!

For days, his thoughts were running wild. He was terrified. If marriage tied him down, a child would do it even more. And now he couldn't leave Boktor, so arrangements for his business had to be made. And Liselle was pregnant. It took a week before he could bring himself to say the word without trembling.

Liselle did her best to calm him, and gradually, he grew more accustomed to the thought. When they lay together in the evenings, he even found he enjoyed holding his hand over her stomach, which was still as flat as always.

Eventually, her stomach began to grow, and the morning sickness receded, and Liselle could have sworn that occasionally when they lay together, their hands entwined over her stomach, she saw a flicker of tentative joy in her husband's eyes.

Silk has made sure that he can be pretty much stationary in Boktor for the moment, and Liselle laughs at his anxiousness of leaving her alone for as much as a single night. However, he adamantly refuses to leave the city, determined to do something he has never done in the past: really, truly, fully commit himself to something. And right now, this something is staying with his pregnant wife.

After he had grown accustomed to the thought of a child, he is anxious and worried, but he also feels a strange kind of happiness, and when Liselle for the first time has to have a dress changed to fit her stomach into it, he smiles, and caressed it for a long time that night.

"Our child", he said, voice filled with wonder, for the first time really taking in the change in his wife's figure. All of her was as slender as every, except her stomach, that now showed just a slight hint of growing.

"Yes." Liselle smiled and climbed on top of him. "Our child. That's what happens, you know…" Silk laughed a little and pulled his wife in for a kiss.

**~*SILK*~**

As the months went by, Liselle's stomach grew, and Silk thought that she was practically glowing with happiness, and after he had calmed down about the whole thing of becoming a father, he could share it, and couldn't help but tell every new person he met about it.

However, there were downsides as well, he quickly noticed as Liselle's pregnancy proceeded. The hormones in her body were running absolutely wild, and she could get terribly angry at him for small things, like coming home just a little later than he'd promised, or bursting into tears for the slightest thing, like spilling out the water at dinner. Silk felt slightly puzzled and alarmed, but every woman he spoke to assured him that it was completely normal, and after he'd gotten over the first anxiousness over his wife's sudden change of temper, he found that he could deal with it better than he thought, and that he didn't really mind rubbing her feet and legs in the evenings when she complained about them aching.

He also found that there were perks with a pregnant wife. At first, he felt worried and anxious that lovemaking would hurt the child, but after some reassurance from more than one mother he met, he calmed down about that as well. And after that, he discovered that Liselle was as full of lust as ever, and more than willing to continue their frequent activities in bed.

In the beginning, they could still stick to their usual favourite positions, but as Liselle's stomach grew, it forced them to become creative, which none of them minded the slightest. Silk found that he particularly liked when they were lying on their sides, because then he could have his hands sprawled over her stomach as he thrust into her. She moaned and entwined her hands with his, arching her back to force him deeper.

"Oh Kheldar… Kheldar…" she moaned, clenching around him. He kissed and sucked on her neck, licking her earlobe, and thrust faster, making her scream with pleasure and ecstasy.

Afterwards, they lay together, facing each other, both their hands splayed over Liselle's now quite large stomach. Then they felt it, both at the same time. A slight movement, the first kick of their child. For a moment, they only stared at each other in awe, and then they felt it again. Liselle suddenly giggled.

"I think she liked it too!" Silk laughed, and kissed her. Then he frowned slightly.

"She?" Liselle smiled cryptically.

"Yes. It's a little girl in there – oh." She felt another kick. Silk's frown disappeared. Knowing such things was probably just another of all the peculiar mysteries of women.

**~*SILK*~**

Every night, they discovered new tricks to pleasure each other more, and soon they discovered that if they were in the spoon position, Silk could lift Liselle's leg, and thereby get deeper into her, and enjoyed making her moan and scream his name as she came. If anything, her pregnancy had made her even more eager to make love far into the nights, and it seemed to have added extra sensitivity. And if he reached to touch her as he thrust into her, he could feel her wetness dripping, covering his fingers, which only aroused him even more.

They continued to experiment with different positions almost every night, and in the days, the often stayed together, in the beginning marvelling at every movement of their child. Although, after a few days, the kicks and turns and sometimes almost painful blows to Liselle's ribs became slightly less of a special wonder, as they grew used to it, and they started leaving the house more, walking around Boktor as much as Liselle could handle with all the extra weight, and well, exhaustion from their playful lovemaking the night before.

They took the habit of going to the market almost every day, and since Silk always had money to spend, they walked around between the stands and shops, picking up little things they thought they might need for the baby, and other things Liselle took fancy of, like perfumes and pretty laces to decorate her dresses with.

Silk mainly took pleasure in the game of bargaining, and Liselle had fun watching him doing it, smiling in delight every time he ripped off a poor merchant to bad it almost should be criminal. She had also noticed that Silk's visits to the many alehouses in Boktor had become considerably slower, and that he actually seemed to enjoy staying at home with her, or just strolling along the streets of Boktor, now almost shining with pride of showing off his beautiful wife.

They also visited the palace frequently, and it seemed like Silk finally had let go of his long lasting, impossible love for the queen, and they instead seemed to have resumed the friendship they once had shared.

However, seeing his mother had not become less difficult or painful. She was staying at the palace at the moment, intent on staying for the birth of her first grandchild. And Silk felt that out of politeness, and the love he still felt for her, however painful it was, he had to visit her at least occasionally. Liselle had learnt to wait at home, and when he arrived, head bent and shoulders slumped, his face a mask of grief. He just sat down at the table, his face buried in his hands. Liselle silently filled a tankard of ale for him, and set it on the table in front of him, wrapping her arms around him. Without a word, and took a deep swallow of the ale. Liselle wished she knew any better way of comforting him, but the only thing she could do was to hold him and letting him drink.

Eventually, he leaned into her embrace, sobbing quietly. She stroked his hair and stroked his back, feeling helpless and heartbroken at his grief, which she knew would forever.

It felt like they sat there for hours, Liselle's dress getting wet with tears, and Silk only holding onto her like she was the only thing that could keep him from drowning.

"My Kheldar", she whispered. "My dear Kheldar." When she finally took his hand and led him to the bed, he still wept silently on her shoulder. She took his hand and placed in on her stomach. "Feel, she's kicking." He gave a choked sob.

"I feel it", he croaked, and softly stroked her stomach with his fingertips. "I feel it. It's her first grandchild." He broke down in tears again, and Liselle placed her hand over his. "I wish she could see her when she's born." Liselle rolled over, for a moment wishing her stomach weren't in the way so she could be closer. She softly kissed his forehead.

"Me too, Kheldar. I wish that too. Ow!" The baby had just given a particularly hard kick to her ribs. Silk drew in a shaky breath.

"She wants to… meet you." For a moment he had almost said "seen". "You should go to her tomorrow. Will you do that? She said she wanted to meet my wife, even though she'll never… see you." Liselle softly stroked his cheek.

"Of course I go." She hesitated, not sure he could bear even being asked. She took a deep breath. "Will you join me?" Silk drew back, just enough for them not to touch anymore. He passed a hand over his face.

"I – I don't –" He took a deep breath, and Liselle could hear he tried to fight back another sob. "I don't know if I… can. If – if –" A choked sob escaped him, and he tried hard to keep his voice steady. "Not so soon." Liselle softly stroked his cheek, tentatively scooting closer so she could put her arm around him.

"Then I'll go alone, you don't have to. But come with me to the palace, spend the time with Porenn or something. I'm sure she'd be glad to see you." He nodded weakly.

"We'll do that", he whispered, voice shaking slightly. Liselle drew him as close as she could, stomach being in the way.

"My Kheldar", she whispered. "I love you. Try to sleep now." She moved so she lay on her back, drawing him close. He wrapped his arms around her, placing his head on her chest. She kissed his forehead softly and held him, stroking his back soothingly until she heard his breathing become even, and then she closed her eyes, suddenly feeling how tired she was, and thankful for that the baby was still at the moment.

The next day, Silk stayed in bed, his face buried in the pillow, complaining that the sun was too bright. Liselle let him lie, not bringing up the question of him joining her for the visit to his mother again, nor bringing up her previous suggestion of him coming with at least to the palace. She quietly dressed and gently kissed him goodbye, whispering she'd see him later, either at the palace if he decided to get up, or at home when she came back. Then she left, slowly strolling to the palace, occasionally wincing at a particularly hard kick from the baby.

When she reached the palace, she sought out Porenn first. The queen smiled and embraced her, then her expression went serious.

"She's upstairs, and she is really eager to meet you, but I know that you're aware of the story of what's happened. But the disease left her horribly disfigured, which I'm sure you know, and also I'm sure you know that no one has ever told her how she looks now, so she doesn't know. So it is very, very important that you don't show any reaction to the way she looks. Please, Liselle, I know you understand, but it might be hard. I just wanted to prepare you a bit." Liselle nodded.

"I know. And I'm one of the best spies you have, and I can hide my feelings and thoughts well. I promise I won't give her any hint." Porenn smiled.

"She'll be delighted to meet you. Just go up these stairs, and it's the first chamber on the left." Liselle nodded and gathered up her skirts, slowly making her way up the stairs, her heave stomach making physical efforts harder each day. When she reached the chamber, she knocked on the door, and after a second, she heard a voice calling from inside.

"Who is it?" Liselle took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she was about to see.

"Liselle, your son's wife."

"Then come in, my daughter in law!" Liselle opened the door, and saw a woman sitting in a chair at the window, seemingly enjoying the sunlight on her face. Liselle had to bite her lip to hold back a gasp at the disfigured face. Then she composed herself and approached her mother in law, who stretched out her hands towards the sound of Liselle's footsteps. Liselle took the hands reaching towards her.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet Kheldar's mother", she said, forcing her voice to sound light and pleasant. The blind woman smiled at the air only a few inches to the side of Liselle's face.

"And it is a pleasure to finally meet my dear son's wife." Liselle took a step closer, unsure of what to do or say. So she said the first thing that came to her.

"I'm sure someone has told you that I'm expecting Kheldar's child."

"Yes, he told me."

"I'm in the seventh month now, you will be a grandmother soon."

"Yes, finally. I never thought that day would come." She smiled in delight. "Would you let me feel it?" Liselle smiled, knowing that the woman couldn't see it, but maybe feel it.

"Yes, you may." She took a few steps closer, guiding the woman's hands to her stomach. "She kicks a lot." The blind woman tentatively moved her hands over Liselle's stomach, and surely, there was a kick. Kheldar's mother smiled.

"I can feel it. Kheldar did that too." Liselle smiled a little.

"Maybe it's a family trait." The old woman smiled.

"Maybe." There was an awkward silence, and Liselle decided that maybe it would be time to leave.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you", she said, taking a step back. The old woman nodded.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you as well, Liselle." She smiled. "Send my greetings and my love to Kheldar." Liselle nodded, then remembered that the woman couldn't see.

"I will." She retreated to the door, and as soon as she had closed it behind her, she made her way down the stairs as fast as she could, understanding why the visits were so painful for her husband. Porenn waited for her at the end of the stair.

"You understand now, don't you? Why it breaks him so much every time he sees her?" Liselle nodded.

"I should go home, Kheldar is waiting for me." She felt the baby kicking, almost like she could feel her mother's pain. She said goodbye to the queen, and made her way towards the house as fast as she could manage.

She found Kheldar in the kitchen, sitting at the table, staring into the air in front of him.

"Did it go well?" His voice was quiet, and it wasn't hard for Liselle to figure out what he was thinking about. She went over to him, kissing the top of his head, wrapping her arms around him from behind, for a second cursing the stomach in between them. He leaned into her embrace, resting his head against her shoulder.

"I understand, Kheldar", she whispered, holding him tighter to her. "I understand." He drew a shaky breath, then rose from the table, taking her hand and led her to the bedroom. He undressed her, and then himself, and led her to the bed. She wondered for a moment what he was doing, then decided to just follow.

For a long time, he just held her as tightly as he could with her stomach between them, just laying there under the covers, without speaking. Liselle moved occasionally to find a more comfortable position as the baby kicked, and eventually she leaned in for a tentative kiss. Silk responded just as softly, their lips just brushing together. He let go of her a little bit, so his arm was resting under her neck, and his hand resting lightly on her stomach. Liselle felt a slight surge of joy as he smiled when he felt a light kick.

"She's a real little kicker", she said, avoiding repeating what Silk's mother had said about him being the same. She also realized that she hadn't mentioned that she had sent her greetings, and decided against mentioning it at all. Silk smiled.

"She is." This time, he was the one to kiss her, and it was more than just a brush of lips. The deepened, and Silk did his best to draw his wife closer to him, and she wrapped a leg around his, also trying to get closer.

This time, there was nothing rough or even intense about their lovemaking, instead it was slow and tender, loving and somehow even more intimate than usual. Silk held Liselle close to him, cupping her breasts in his hands, and gently brushing his fingers over her stomach, softly kissing her neck as he thrust into her, slower than usual, but Liselle's soft moans and Silk's hard breathing showed that it was no less pleasurable than usual.

Afterwards, they stayed in the same position, Silk holding Liselle until they both fell asleep, their bodies fitting perfectly together.

**~*SILK*~**

A month and a half later, they sent for Polgara, since Liselle insisted that she wanted her and no one else to deliver her baby. A week later, Polgara arrived, and she brought with her a beautifully carved cradle that Durnik had made when he heard of Liselle's pregnancy.

Silk was growing increasingly anxious, not knowing much about this particular female mystery either. Polgara reassured him that everything would go well, and Liselle kissed him and made him massage her aching, swollen feet while saying the same thing.

Then finally one morning, Liselle shook Silk awake, her face contorted with pain and her body curled up, her other arm around her stomach.

"Get. Polgara. Now", she hissed, and a pain moan escaped her. Then she relaxed a little. "Get Polgara, it's time! Now!" Silk bolted out of bed and ran to Polgara's sleeping quarters, banging on the door.

"Polgara! Polgara! It's time! The baby is coming!" Polgara emerged a few moments later, and Silk practically dragged her towards his and Liselle's bedroom. When they reached the door, Polgara stopped him, gripping him firmly by the shoulders.

"Stay here now. It might be a few hours, and don't be alarmed if you hear her scream. Try to keep yourself occupied, but stay in the house or close by." Silk nodded, and Polgara disappeared into the bedroom, and he heard her speak soothingly to Liselle, who was moaning in pain.

The next hours Silk paced forth and back in the house. He sat down in one of the chairs of the living room, and thirty seconds later, he rose again, and resumed pacing. He attempted reading, but gave it up after only a few minutes, noticing that he didn't take in a single word of the page. And he resumed his pacing, moving restlessly between the rooms, trying his best to ignore the occasional pained scream from the bedroom, and fight his instinct to simply bolt, as he felt that this thing, becoming a father, was almost too huge.

After what Silk was sure was an eternity, Polgara emerged from the bedroom, a smile on her face.

"Congratulations, Kheldar", she smiled. "You're a father now." Silk started to tremble, and collapsed in the nearest chair.

"I'm a – a father", he repeated, letting the realization sink in. Then he thought of Liselle. "How is Liselle?" Polgara smiled.

"Tired. But fine, and she's waiting for you. She wants to see you now." As she finished the sentence, Silk got out of the chair and ran to the bedroom, and nothing could have prepared him for the feeling that rushed through him at the sight that met him there. Liselle lay in the centre of the bed, covers pulled up to her waist, and she looked pale and exhausted, but at her chest, she held a tiny bundle, and Silk could see a tuft of blond hair sticking up from the bundle, and he heard the soft sound of the baby's sucking on Liselle's breast. For a few moments, he stood frozen in the door, looking at his little family in awe.

"Kheldar." Her voice was a little hoarse, and she sounded tired, but he could hear a kind of happiness in it that he never had heard before. In a second, he was at the bed, sitting down at the edge, reaching for one of Liselle's hands, bringing it to his lips.

"Liselle", he croaked out, emotions making his voice thick and for some reason, clouded up his vision. "Is it…"

"It's a girl, Kheldar. It's our little girl." He lifted his gaze, looking into his wife's eyes, his own wide with amazement.

"A girl", he said, voice full of wonder. Liselle smiled and pulled at him hand, and he obeyed her, scooting closer, so he was sitting next to her. He put a finger under her chin and kissed her, her mouth, her forehead, her cheeks. "A little girl." A soft sound and a tiny burp signified that the little girl was done with her meal, and Liselle shifted her in her arms so that Silk could see her properly.

"Say hello to our daughter, Kheldar." She reached out the bundle, and he carefully took it, afraid he would break something by accident. She was so tiny, and she had a big tuft of blond hair on her head, and her little face was the most perfect thing Silk had ever seen.

"She's beautiful", he whispered, just as a tiny arm freed itself from the bundle and the little girl gripped her father's little finger as hard as she could. Silk just looked at her, feeling his chest swell with pride and joy, and it was not until Liselle softly wiped his cheek he realized he had been crying. "She's perfect", he whispered, softly stroking his daughter's cheek. Liselle snuggled closer to them, resting her head on Silk's shoulder.

"I know. Our daughter, Kheldar."

**~*SILK*~**

After getting over the initial shock and fear of having become a father, Liselle was proud of her husband. He helped her when the baby cried in the nights, and for the first days, he hovered anxiously over the nanny they had hired to watch the baby girl in the days so Liselle could get some rest.

When Liselle had recovered enough to take a small walk, Silk insisted that he carried the baby, shining with the pride of a new father. Liselle walked with his arm hooked around his, and hugged him closer, smiling with joy of their little family.

Sometimes, when the baby slept, they sat at the cradle together, pointing out every little thing they found amazing about her. One of these nights, Liselle brought up the fact that they hadn't named her yet, Silk all caught up in the sudden changes of, well, everything, and Liselle still too tired to press the matter.

Silk thought for a moment, stroking his daughter's tuft of hair. Then he suddenly smiled.

"I know. Velvet. Her hair is soft as velvet, and it was your cover name. Don't you think it's perfect?" Liselle laughed quietly, not wanting to wake their daughter.

"Velvet. I like it. She'll be our Velvet." She reached out a hand, stroking Velvet's soft cheek with a finger, then turning to kiss her husband. "I like it", she said with a decisive nod, and Silk smiled and snuck his arm around her, drawing her close.

**~*SILK*~**

**I hope you enjoyed! And if not, I'm sorry. And, please review?**


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